Asteroid Blues

With Lieutenant Qi still acclimating to her new Lhost, command of the Red Darts temporarily transferred to Daoying Shu. Reports of a possible Shasvastii smuggling operation being run through Pakngein Traffic Control had attracted Mayacast celebrity and investigative reporter Candy Double, and Yu Jing command had offered the Taskforce as an escort into the area.

Their objectives were to destroy a cargo container marked as supplies for the Tartary Army Korps suspected to contain dormant Seed Embryos, and identify and apprehend a smuggler suspected of working with, or being, a Shasvastii infiltrator. Resistance from Ariadnan units was anticipated.

Escorting Ms. Double into the area of operations, the Red Darts encountered dug-in TAK elements ordering them to retreat. Unfazed, the Yu Jing units deployed to push back the Ariadnan dupes and root out the smuggling operation.

Wu Jiang, of the Zencha Armoured Reconnaisance Regiment, advanced from his position behind an abandoned vehicle, cautiously crossing the street to avoid the sights of Ariadnan snipers stationed on the rooftops. Jiang placed a demolition charge on the suspect container, leaving it for the Monstrucker engineer to detonate.

Throwing smoke grenades, a Dog Warrior stole past the heavy scout, making for the support elements of the taskforce. The advance of the mutant irregular stalled under concentrated fire, unable to successfully deploy more smoke. Though it caused significant damage, it would eventually be brought down by sustained fire, a brave Kuang Shi unit showing their dedication to the cause by killing the monster armed with nothing more than a handgun.

With a majority of their mission objectives achieved, the Taskforce consolidated their positions to protect Ms. Double from the remaining Ariadnan forces. The Rui Shi remote moved forward to engage the Tartary snipers, killing both a Frontovik and Line Kazak. The Irmandinho who had plundered Guilang Xi's assault hacking device attempted to shut the remote down, but a combination of inexperience with the technology and the Rui Shi's own countermeasures kept the remote active.

Mowang trooper Zhao moved forward to eliminate both of the Irmandinho irregular engineers, shock rounds making short work of both scavengers. The Invincible then fell back behind a barricade, overlooking the Mayanet star, red fury blazing suppressive fire. A mounted Ariadnan paramedic attempted to get close to Candy Double, but fell short in the face of repeated flash pulses from a Yaokong REM and Zhao's overwatch.